When it comes to the mask Clippers guard Jamal Crawford wore Sunday to protect his fractured nose against the Boston Celtics, this wasn't the case of modern medicine or technology ruling the day.

Just an example of good old-fashioned ingenuity.

It wasn't on par with the NASA control room devising instruments on the fly to help get Apollo 13 home safely, but Clippers trainer Jason Powell deserves plenty of credit for coming up with the contraption that allowed Crawford to play Sunday with some peace of mind.

"He made it out of scratch," marveled Crawford, who was so unsure he'd come up with suitable protection it wasn't until he arrived at the arena Sunday before he decided if he could play or not.

That he did is a tribute to Powell, the longtime Clippers trainer who built the face mask between practice Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

With the game falling on a weekend and Crawford fracturing his nose Friday in Toronto, there was little time or opportunity to seek out professional help from a medical supply company. That meant Powell and Crawford had to put their heads together to come up with a gadget that protected Crawford's nose but also provided ample breathing room and did not distract him from playing basketball.

The final result was something straight out of Hannibal Lecter and "Silence of the Lambs," but it did the job and that's all that counts.